Lanka, a tourist hotspot in Korean market

The Embassy of Sri Lanka in Korea and the Sri Lanka Tourism Promotion Bureau organised the Sri Lanka pavilion at the 26th Korea World Travel Fair (KOTFA), a large travel exposition. It was held at the COEX Exhibition Centre in Seoul from May 30 to June 2.

KOTFA attracted a multitude of international and national tourism organisations. More than 3,000 local and foreign exhibitors, representing 60 countries including 23 Asian nations took part.

All major tourist destinations of Asia, including Thailand, India, China, Japan, Malaysia, and the Philippines had a strong presence at the fair.

The Sri Lanka pavilion was opened by Sri Lankan Ambassador to Korea, Tissa Wijeratne. Korean Vice Minister of Culture, Sports and Tourism, Cho Hyun-jae, President of KOTFA and other dignitaries in the Korean tourism industry were present.

A press conference was held at the premises to promote Sri Lanka as an ideal tourist destination. Following the press conference and the one-on-one business meeting session, a dinner was hosted for the Korean press and travel companies.

In 2012, the number of Korean tourist arrivals in Sri Lanka increased by 43% compared to the previous year, even before the setting up of direct air links between the two countries.

With the launch of Korean Air direct flights between Seoul and Colombo from March this year, along with other tourism promotional initiatives, such as KOTFA, a significant increase in Korean tourists to Sri Lanka is expected this year.